Transcript Research and the Internet (Purdue OWL) 2015

Research and the Internet

The Internet can be
a great tool for
research, but finding
quality web
materials and using
them to your
advantage in your
writing can be
challenging.
OWL web site:
owl.english.
purdue.edu
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What is a search engine?
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A search engine
is an Internet tool
that locates web
pages and sorts
them according
to specified
keywords.
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Why do we need to evaluate web
sources?
Virtually any person can
publish almost anything
on the Internet.
 Unlike most print sources,
web sources do not have
to be professionally
accepted and edited to be
published.
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Types of web pages
Informative pages
 Personal web pages
 Political/interest group
pages
 Marketing-oriented or
“infomercial” pages
 Entertainment pages
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Identify the web site
Who is the creator of
the site?
 What is the purpose of
the site?
 Who is the audience
of this site?
 Can you purchase
products at this site?

Is the site affiliated
with a business or
university?
 Does the site offer
idiosyncratic
information about a
particular person or
group?
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Identify the web site
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Whenever possible, try
to locate the home
page.
You can often do this by
eliminating some
information from the
end of the URL.
.org
.com
.edu
.au
.gov
.net
.us
.uk
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Identify the web site
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Sometimes the actual
purpose of the web site may
not be clearly articulated.
Can be difficult to separate
advertising from accurate
information.
Some marketing sites will
offer misleading information
in attempts to sell their
products.
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Examine for credibility
Credibility may be
compromised by
purposeful misinformation
or by unintentional neglect.
 Locating the name of the
site’s creator may be
challenging.
 Credentials may be
missing even if the author’s
name is provided.

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Examine for credibility
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Does the site provide a list
of sources or a Works Cited
page?
Can you locate any of the
source material? How
reliable is this material?
Are there links to other
credible sites with additional
information?
Does the site provide a link
for emailing the author or
webmaster?
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Determine depth and
scope of information
 Does
the material show signs of
research, such as references to other
sources, hyperlinks, footnotes, or a
reference page?
 Does the author consider opposing
points of view?
 How closely does the site really match
the information for which you are
searching?
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Determine depth and
scope of information
Are there a lot of flashy pictures, colors,
animated images, and logos designed
to attract attention? Do these eyecatching images distract you from
noticing a lack of credible information?
Do they disguise an attempt to get you
to buy something?
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Determine depth and
scope of information

Different from print sources:
 Information covered on web pages is often
presented for easy digestion and visual appeal.
 Information may not provide sufficient depth or
scope.
 Material may be affected by marketing or political
bias.

Sometimes web sources may not be the right sources
for the information you need.
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Assess date of information
Does the site clearly state
a date of creation or a
date for the most recent
update?
 More importantly, does
the information cover
recent changes or
advances in the field or
topic you are
researching?
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Assess date of information
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Can you locate a date on the web
page?
Dates on web pages can mean:
 Date the author first wrote or
developed the material
 Date site was first available on
the Internet for public access
 Date site was most recently
updated, including revisions,
additions, or subtractions to the
material
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Evaluating web sources
Use search engines to
your advantage
 Identify the web site
 Examine for credibility
 Determine depth and
scope of information
 Assess date of information
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